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This article is from the Fall 2000AFRMA Rat & Mouse Tales news-magazine.

Book Review

A Glance Back in Time: Wealth in Rats and Mice

By Nichole Royer

Published The Laboratory Supply Company, Philadelphia, PA, Established since 1912.

For years I have collected old books about the subjects I love.
I’ve always been fascinated by the history behind how things are today, and a great way to learn about history
is to read what was written back when the events were actually taking place.

I’ve always thought it very unfortunate that we do not have any clear record of the history
of domestic rats and mice in the United States. England is far ahead of us in this matter, partially aided by the
ongoing presence of an active rat and mouse fancy. What history we do have is tiny vignettes out of time seen though
the eyes of period writers. While old references to rats and mice are rare, they do exist. I have always found them
extremely interesting and thought others might as well. In this series of articles, I’ll share some of the
pieces I have found. If anyone has happened across other references, I’d love to hear about them as well.

Wealth in Rats and Mice, An Appeal for a More Extensive Propagation of White Rats and White Mice,
published by The Laboratory Supply Company, E. Michaels, Manager, Member of the National Breeders’ and
Fanciers’ Association of America, Inc., United Cavy Breeders’ Association, 2841 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia,
PA, Established since 1912.

When I encountered the title of this booklet I just had to own it. The mere concept of
there being much “wealth” involved in rats and mice (beyond the enjoyment of their companionship) brought
a smile to my face.

Published in 1921, this booklet is clearly a sales pitch for something of a get-rich-quick scheme. At that point in
time laboratories depended on individuals to supply them with the rats and mice they needed. This booklet, put out by
the Laboratory Supply Company, is aimed at encouraging individuals to breed rats and mice for this purpose.

While this may not be our goal today with our own animals, it is very interesting to look back on this and see
what individuals were doing back before the fancy existed in this country. Apparently the deal was that you could
purchase a “hutch” complete with bedding, four females, and one male rat or mouse for less than $10. Their
sales pitch goes on to suggest that in 1 year, 10 mice (or rats) would earn $250, 100 would earn $2,500, 500 would
earn $12,500, and 1000 would earn $25,000.

Interestingly, this company appears to have been a major supplier of rodents to the laboratories and from reading
this booklet, they were having a difficult time filling orders due to a shortage of breeders. They actually offer a
3-year contract in which you buy the breeding stock from them and they will buy all the resulting offspring back at up
to 60 cents a pair. They go so far as to suggest you should, “Make those Liberty Bonds earn 200 to 500% interest
instead of only 3% to 4% %—Exchange them for white mice.”

While this company did apparently put out a book on the subject of rat and mouse care (a book I’d love to
find) they also included quite a bit of care information in this booklet as well. We have reprinted here a couple of
pages that folks may find of interest. Keep in mind, this was long before lab blocks and packaged bedding existed. I
found it particularly fascinating that they mention the Windsor institute (which is incorrect, it is actually the
Wistar institute, the subject of my next article).

Throughout this booklet I’m happy to say there is continuous mention of what nice animals both rats and mice
are. They boldly state that they are harmless, very intelligent, and perhaps better pets than dogs and cats. It’s
nice to see the company appreciated the rats and mice for more than just their value as laboratory animals. They do,
however, stress their importance in the laboratories in saving human lives. Having no knowledge of such things, I do
not know how much of what they write on this topic is hype, and how much is truth. It’s interesting though.

While this booklet was never aimed at the pet owner or the fancier, it does show a bit of history on how rats and
mice were raised and cared for at the time it was written. At that time in history it does seem the focus of the folks
raising rats and mice was the goal of selling them to the laboratories. I can add just a touch of additional information
to this however. At one of our displays some years ago we were approached by an elderly lady with her young granddaughter
in tow. This lady was particularly excited to see our display (which was among a group that included tigers, lions, and
an elephant). While standing at our booth she told her granddaughter all about how her father had raised white mice for
laboratories to pick up some extra money when she was a young girl. She also remembered that her father had allowed her
a cage and some colored mice for a project of her own. She bred the mice to make as many colors and combinations as she
could and sold them as pets to pick up some spending money. She even went so far as to ask if we had any spotted mice or
Agoutis with us. Though her childhood probably was not as early as this particular booklet, it is certainly possible that
her father was breeding for this or a similar company. Though the focus was clearly to bring in some extra funds with the
mice, I was delighted to hear that there were folks out there breeding the colored mice and specifically selling them as
pets. This elderly lady was clearly very fond of her mice, and I was thrilled to see her sharing that with her
granddaughter.

Excerpts from:

We do not require any raiser to sell
any stipulated number; in fact, any of our raisers may sell their
entire production of six, eight or ten months’ breeding all at
one time, should they so desire.

HUTCHES

The hutch we offer for sale in our
outfits are all made of strong, durable lumber, with wire on the fronts
and a door opening into the hutch from the top. The insides of the
hutches are treated so as to assure the best of sanitation, while
the outsides are stained so as to give the hutches a good appearance,
no matter where they may be kept.

Certainly our hutches would be every
bit as attractive as some of the scrubby pot plants to be found on
many windowsills. They will take up no more room and require no more
attention. Still, by doing away with the window flower and pot
plants and replacing them with these hutches, you will be doing humanity
lots of good and provide yourself with a constant source of income.

These hutches may also be kept on
shelves about the sides of the room. By constructing the shelves
so as to be one on top of the other, with sufficient space between
to allow one of the boxes to set in, about 250 may be kept in an ordinary-size
room. These 250 hutches will house 1250 breeders and their young
until the young are ready to be weaned. No special building or other
equipment is necessary for the mice, a spare room in the upper part
of the house is the most adaptable for this purpose.

BREEDING

Mice are the fastest breeding
animals known in the domestic animal kingdom. They breed approximately
every twenty-one days; think of it, and have four to twelve young
at each birth. One female mouse should have between 100 and 150 young
in a year, and about 600 descendants, possibly more when it is considered
that the young breed in ten weeks after birth. At this rate 100
female mice will produce between 10,000
and 15,000 youngsters in a year.

6

Mice are mated in sets of four females
to a male for breeding, and are never separated. They have their
young in nests in a corner of the hutches. As soon as the young
are two weeks old they are ready to be weaned into larger runs, and
at six to eight weeks of age they are ready for sale. The male
mouse will not harm the young.

There is no limited season in which
white mice breed. They breed the year round. They will breed as
good during the winter months as during the summer. Mice will stand
cold weather, providing they are given plenty of litter, such as cotton,
feathers, papers, etc., under which they may burrow and build their
nests. Quite a few mouse raisers keep their stock breeding good
all winter without providing any artificial heat.

Mice and rats may be in-bred and line-bred
without any danger of inferior young. The Windsor Institute of
Philadelphia claims to have in-bred for twenty-one generations, and
at the end of the twenty-first generation have stronger and better
stock than what they began with.

The mouse outfits we offer for sale
all contain mice which already have been mated, and should have young
within three or four weeks after you receive them. Nothing slow
about this, is there? No impatient waiting for mice to multiply; they
are the champion breeders of the domestic animal kingdom. Ask any
mouse raiser; he can tell you.

FEEDING

White rats and white mice, like most
rodents, are vegetarians. They will eat most any kind of food—scraps
from the table, castoff greens, stale bread, grains, etc. They
eat very little. A hundred mice will not eat as much as one dog
or cat. How many homes have one or more dogs and cats about consuming
valuable food which could be turned into profit and use for humanity,
if these pets were replaced by white mice or white rats? Both white
rats and white mice